T
HE PORTABLE AIR CONDI-
tioner is essentially an AC
on wheels. It’s not a gim-
micky contraption but
an effective appliance,
as millions of cool and
comfortable people can
attest. Unlike a heavy window AC
with a single fixed location on a
sill, the portable air conditioner
can be pushed around in a room or
moved between rooms, more accu-
rately putting cold air right where
you need it. For many people fac-
ing hot and sticky living conditions
and an uncomfortable night’s sleep,
the appliance can be a tremendous
problem solver.
For our test, we set the tempera-
ture on each air conditioner to 68
degrees, the fan speed to maximum,
and aimed the appliance at a target
eight feet away. Then we measured
the temperature at four locations
on the target. We also checked the
appliance’s outlet temperature (it
should be consistent and a lot hot-
ter than what the air conditioner
is putting into the room). Next, we
wheeled the appliances around on
hard surfaces that amplify rattles
and squeaks. To analyze the cooling
value, we divided its cooling BTU by
its cost. All that led us to these, the
five best portable ACs you can buy
right now. Trust one of them to help
you survive these warm months.MOST ACCURATE
HONEYWELL
HL09CESWKPrice: $380 Modes: Cool,
fan only, dehumidify
Cord length: 72 in. Hose
length: 59 in. Amps: 8
BTUs: 9,000This Honeywell is a
robustly built and pleas-
ant-sounding appliance.
Its amperage and BTUs
put it firmly in the middle
range of power for por-
table air conditioners. It
should more than hold its
own in the average-size
apartment. All of the air
conditioners produced anaccurate and
stable tempera-
ture during our
tests, but the
HL09CESWK
stood above
them all, holding
the target tem-
perature within
one degree.
As far as main-
tenance goes,
access to all the
AC’s air filters is
very good: The
top filter grill
doesn’t need
a tool to crack
open, while the lower grill
is held with a single pan-
head sheet-metal screw,
not an exotic Euro fas-tener of some kind. If you
lose that screw, a quick
trip to the hardware store
should be enough to find a
replacement.EDITORS’ CHOICE
LG LP1419IVSMPrice: $699 Modes: Cool,
fan only, dehumidify
Cord length: 54 in. Hose
length: 57 in. Amps: 12
BTUs: 14,000LG’s LP1419IVSM was the
most powerful we tested.We set the temperature
and fan speed, and before
we could even return to
our notes, it was blowing
ice-cold air. The auto-
matic movement of the
louvers ensured even tem-
perature distribution at
the target. It did almost as
good of a job holding its
temperature as the stal-
wart Honeywell below.Given that and the appli-
ance’s ample BTUs, this
LG is well suited for large
apartments or offices
that might need excep-
tional cooling capacity.
In terms of maintenance,
the LP1419IVSM is very
straightforward. Two
grills cover its twin air fil-
ters, and neither of them
requires tools for removal.Tools
13
// BY ROY BERENDSOHN //The
Best
Portable
ACs
COURTESYLG;^ COURTESY^ HONEYWELL;^ COURTESY^ FRIGIDAIRE